[6]

Five ladies of ill repute muster the courage to take the stand against their evil nightclub boss in this Bette Davis vehicle. Davis overacts a tad (doesn’t she always?), but Humphrey Bogart is reliable in the role of the tenacious district attorney. This is an instance where I’d love to have seen some of the off-screen action, but the film works remarkably well under the constraints of the Hays Code. The mise-en-scene offers up fancy wardrobes and a few beautiful moments of noir-drenched cinematography. Lola Lane is memorable as one of Davis’ comrades.